Will Big East RU the Day Louisville Lost?

At first blush, Louisville's loss at Rutgers may seem to be a bad thing for the Big East. After all, the high-flying Cards had a chance to play the Ohio State-Michigan winner in the BCS Championship Game...if they won out. What a stage that would have been for the much-maligned Big East.

Upon further examination, though, Rutgers' win will mean more for the Big East in the long run. Think about it. The Scarlet Knights' defense showed that Louisville and Brian Brohm are susceptible to a pressure defense. Both Ohio State and Michigan can bring the heat. If Louisville did make it to Glendale, it wasn't likely to be much of a contest.

The Knights won't make it to the desert unless several one-loss teams take the pipe over the final four weeks of the regular season. However, their win means the Big East could have two teams in the BCS this season. Beyond that, Greg Schiano has clearly built a program...not just a one-year wonder. Add Rutgers to Louisville, West Virginia, Pitt, and an underrated South Florida team (which will start to pluck a few more recruits from flagging Miami and Fla. State) and the Big East has five teams that can compete and win their share nationally. Cincinnati and UConn also have the potential to make some noise with young head coaches and you'd think Syracuse would get back to prominence at some point. Aside: Why did SU's administration stay with Paul Pasqualoni so long?

So who will be the Big Ten champ's opponent in the BCS Championship Game? A one-loss SEC Champ seems most likely. The Big 12 is too weak, so Texas is unlikely. The Horns' only way in is if all of the SEC contenders (Florida, Arkansas, Auburn) wind up with two losses. USC is a darkhorse that could get back in the big game if they run the table vs. Oregon, Cal, ND, and UCLA. Even with that, the Trojans might still need help. Notre Dame? Forget it, Irish fans. Even with an upset of USC, they need several teams ahead of them to lose again for any chance. Highly unlikely. What about the Big Ten runner-up? Possible, but not probable.